Volume 15 Number 4 - April 2008

Features

North Carolinas saltwater hook-and-line anglers can expect a decent year during 2008 for many popular species, but one of the most pursued fish is in serious decline at central and southern coastal waters, according to the 2007 stock status report of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. To remedy the problem a fishing closure has been proposed for a major N.C. coastal river.

Ask any dedicated North Carolina fly fisherman about the Davidson River, and youre likely to get a strongly opinionated reply.

That response might include that the Davidson is the premier and best-known trout stream in the state. It consistently ranks among the top trout water in the region and also was listed in Trout Unlimiteds book, Americas 100 Best Trout Streams.

Capt. Lee Parsons caught his first fish with a fly rod at Wrightsville Beach when he was 12. In the years since, Parsons, now 55, has become one of the most accomplished light-tackle and fly anglers at the North Carolina coast.

Residents of the tiny western North Carolina town of Franklin can tell visitors where to find wild turkeys  just go to a local fast-food restaurant.

About every day two wild gobblers show up at the McDonalds parking lot, said Tex Corbin, president of the Nantahala chapter of the N.C. Wild Turkey Federation. The turkeys hang around, and people feed them french fries and stuff. Then they go on their way.